break down

break down
break down
1. Lit. [for something] to fall apart; [for something] to stop operating. •

The air-conditioning broke down, and we got very warm.

•

The car broke down on the long trip.

2. Fig. [for one] to lose control of one's emotions; [for one] to have an emotional or psychological crisis. •

He couldn't keep going. He finally broke down.

•

I was afraid I'd break down.

3. <
* * *
{v.} (stress on "down") 1. To smash or hit (something) so that it falls; cause to fall by force. * /The firemen broke down the door./ 2. To reduce or destroy the strength or effect of; weaken; win over. * /By helpful kindness the teacher broke down the new boy's shyness./ * /Advertising breaks down a lot of stubbornness against change./ 3. To separate into elements or parts; decay. * /Water is readily broken down into hydrogen and oxygen./ * /After many years, rocks break down into dirt./ 4. To become unusable because of breakage or other failure; lose power to work or go. * /The car broke down after half an hour's driving./ * /His health broke down./ * /When the coach was sick in bed, the training rules of the team broke down./ Compare: GO BACK ON(2).

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?
Synonyms:
, , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • break down — {v.} (stress on down ) 1. To smash or hit (something) so that it falls; cause to fall by force. * /The firemen broke down the door./ 2. To reduce or destroy the strength or effect of; weaken; win over. * /By helpful kindness the teacher broke… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • break down — (something) 1. to divide something into smaller parts. The quickest way to get this job done is to break it down into a number of specific steps. 2. to cause something to weaken or decay. Temperatures were high enough to break down the chemicals …   New idioms dictionary

  • break down — (someone) 1. to cause someone to become emotional. Andy broke down and cried several times during his retirement speech. 2. to weaken someone. I felt so good, I felt like nothing could break me down or make me sick …   New idioms dictionary

  • break-down — ● break down nom masculin invariable (anglais breakdown, effondrement) Synonyme de dépression nerveuse. ● break down (synonymes) nom masculin invariable (anglais breakdown, effondrement) Synonymes : dépression nerveuse …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • break down — index classify, codify, damage, decay, erode, overcome (overwhelm), pigeonhole, stall …   Law dictionary

  • break down — ( )brāk dau̇n vt to separate (as a chemical compound) into simpler substances: DECOMPOSE vi 1) to stop functioning because of breakage or wear 2) to undergo decomposition …   Medical dictionary

  • break down — *analyze, resolve, dissect Contrasted words: concatenate, articulate, *integrate …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • break down — 1) PHRASAL VERB If a machine or a vehicle breaks down, it stops working. [V P] Their car broke down. 2) PHRASAL VERB If a discussion, relationship, or system breaks down, it fails because of a problem or disagreement. [V P] Talks with business… …   English dictionary

  • break down — v. 1) (D; intr., tr.) to break down into (to break down a substance into its components) 2) (misc.) to break down in tears * * * [ breɪk daʊn] (misc.) to break down in tears (D; intr., tr.) to break down into (to break down a substance into its… …   Combinatory dictionary

  • break down — UK US break down Phrasal Verb with break({{}}/breɪk/ verb [T] (broke, broken) ► [I or T] to separate, or to separate something, into smaller parts: »Can you break down our expenses by month and by region? »The data breaks down into three main… …   Financial and business terms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”